NavyDoc: My dad and my uncle were both in the Marines in WWII and Korea. Both went to college on the GI Bill, which also provided advanced degree opportunities as well (my dad had a Masters in Aerospace Engineering and my uncle was an MBA).

I finished my degree courtesy of the Montgomery/GI Bill and know plenty of guys who did the same, as well as vets who maintained reserve status and were able to better themselves, all courtesy of Uncle Sugar.

The GI Bill was also the motive force behind the massive numbers of returning vets going to college and getting degrees in engineering, law and medicine, all of which drove the incredible prosperity of the 1950s and 1960s.